Police Officer Daniel J. Doffyn

Daniel J. Doffyn

Police Officer Dan Doffyn was shot and killed when he surprised burglary suspects at an apartment complex at 750 N Lorel Avenue at approximately 3:30 pm.

He and other officers were heading for their squad cars at the Austin District police station at the beginning of their shift when they heard a radio report of a burglary in progress at a three-story, 15-unit apartment building directly across the street from the police station. A number of officers rushed to the scene, including Officer Doffyn.

They arrived to the sound of breaking glass. This alerted the officers to an escape attempt out an apartment window. Officer Doffyn ran to a gangway alongside the building and caught one of the suspects just as he was coming out the window. He was preparing to make the arrest when a second suspect opened fire with a Tec-9 automatic handgun. Officer Doffyn was hit twice in areas not covered by his bulletproof vest. He died five hours later during surgery at Cook County Hospital.

Another officer was also shot during the gun battle, but despite a serious leg injury, was still able to return fire and critically wounded the shooter. Three gang members with extensive criminal histories were apprehended at the scene.

Approximately 20 minutes before the shootout with police, the three suspects shot and injured a rival gang member. They fled to the apartment of one of the suspect's girlfriends. She was not home at the time so they broke in. Another tenant in the building called the police to report the burglary. Fearing that police were chasing them for the earlier shooting, one of the suspects reportedly ordered his cohorts to "go at it till the end."

The shooter was sentenced to death, but that conviction was overturned by then-Governor George H. Ryan who issued a moratorium on the death penalty and emptied the state’s death row by commuting the sentences of 167 inmates to life in prison.

On October 17th, 2003, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered new trials for two men convicted of killing Officer Doffyn because the prosecution displayed the bloodstained uniform of Officer Daniel Doffyn. The court applied similar reasoning in their decision that threw out the convictions of two who were sentenced to life in prison for their roles in Officer Doffyn’s shooting.

Police Officer Daniel Doffyn had served with the Chicago Police Department for eight months. He is survived by his 8-year-old daughter and his parents.